What causes DbtProfileMissingTarget?

The --target flag passed to dbt references a target (e.g., prod) that is not defined in profiles.yml. The DBT_TARGET environment variable is set to an incorrect value in the CI/CD environment. The profiles.yml file uses the wrong profile name and the default target is not configured. A new environment was not added to profiles.yml after being added to dbt Cloud

How do I fix DbtProfileMissingTarget?

Step 1: Run dbt debug to see which profile and target are being loaded and what error is returned.. Step 2: Open profiles.yml and verify the target name under the profile outputs section: cat ~/.dbt/profiles.yml.. Step 3: Ensure the DBT_TARGET environment variable (if set) matches an existing target name exactly.. Step 4: Add the missing target to profiles.yml with the correct warehouse credentials.. Step 5: In dbt Cloud, verify the environment's connection settings include a valid target name.

High severityconfiguration

Power BI Refresh Error:
DbtProfileMissingTarget

What does this error mean?

dbt cannot find the specified target environment in the active profile, either because the target name does not exist in profiles.yml or the DBT_TARGET environment variable points to a non-existent target.

Common causes

1The --target flag passed to dbt references a target (e.g., prod) that is not defined in profiles.yml
2The DBT_TARGET environment variable is set to an incorrect value in the CI/CD environment
3The profiles.yml file uses the wrong profile name and the default target is not configured
4A new environment was not added to profiles.yml after being added to dbt Cloud

How to fix it

1Step 1: Run dbt debug to see which profile and target are being loaded and what error is returned.
2Step 2: Open profiles.yml and verify the target name under the profile outputs section: cat ~/.dbt/profiles.yml.
3Step 3: Ensure the DBT_TARGET environment variable (if set) matches an existing target name exactly.
4Step 4: Add the missing target to profiles.yml with the correct warehouse credentials.
5Step 5: In dbt Cloud, verify the environment's connection settings include a valid target name.

Frequently asked questions

Where does dbt look for profiles.yml by default?

dbt looks for profiles.yml in ~/.dbt/ by default. You can override this with the --profiles-dir flag or the DBT_PROFILES_DIR environment variable.

What is the difference between a dbt profile and a dbt target?

A profile is a named set of connection configurations in profiles.yml. A target is a specific environment within that profile (e.g., dev, staging, prod), each with its own warehouse credentials and schema settings.